I had the chance to change things up yesterday, and I took it. The daughter of our friends, Cliff and Ashley (managers at Red Star Bar), celebrated her 18th birthday yesterday. It was a semi-formal affair that I initially didn’t plan to attend because I’d never met the daughter, and I’m not big on dressing up. But then I decided I ought to go and experience some Filipino culture that I’d not seen before. Apparently, turning eighteen is a big deal in these parts, and the gathering last night was more like a fancy wedding than a birthday party. Even though it wasn’t really my thing, it was impressive.
Anyway, my introvert nature kicked in after a couple of hours, and I departed before the buffet dinner was served. Heh, I guess I had had enough of the different for one day.
In other news, I had my first-ever encounter with an AI interaction via ChatGPT. For whatever reason, I have been unwilling to engage with the technology. Well, I’m pretty sure AI will be the end of mankind as we know it, but I expect I’ll be long gone by then. Anyway, it’s my pal Scott’s fault that I finally pulled the trigger.
We were seated together last night at the party, and I asked him about how it is done. He told me about the ChatGPT app and how it works. Well, I’d heard of it, but never tried it until this morning.
Our “conversation” started like this:
Me: Can you alter an image for me?
Sure — upload the image and tell me what changes you want made (for example: remove an object, change the background, make it look like a painting, adjust colors, add text, etc.).
So, I uploaded the image above and asked ChatGPT to make it more interesting. This is what I got:
I told ChatGPT nice job, and got this response:
Glad that version worked. If you want to push it further, I can also make it more dramatic or fun—like:
- cinematic travel poster style
- fantasy scene (floating islands, magical sky, glowing lights)
- adventure vibe (mountains, drones, dramatic clouds)
- funny edit (dinosaurs, UFO, giant Chocolate Hills in background, etc.)
Just say what style you want next.
I responded:
I like the fantasy scene idea…I am imagining heaven on earth.
We finished our chat like this:
Me: Thanks so much. This was my first time using ChatGPT or any AI tool.
You’re welcome — and honestly, this is a pretty fun first use case 😄
You basically just did one of the most common AI workflows already:
- uploaded an image,
- asked for an edit,
- explored different creative directions,
- iterated until it matched your idea.
That’s a big part of what AI tools are good at: helping you turn a rough idea (“make this more interesting” / “heaven on earth”) into something visual quickly.
Beyond image editing, you can also use ChatGPT for things like:
- trip planning and itineraries
- writing emails, letters, or captions
- learning topics or asking questions
- brainstorming gifts, hobbies, recipes, workouts, etc.
- organizing photos, resumes, or projects
- coding, spreadsheets, presentations, and study help
So you’ve only scratched the surface.
And now you’ve got a fantasy Chocolate Hills version of your photo as your first AI project, which is a pretty solid start.
Me: I’m off to a good start! I’ll be back to explore some of those other pathways.
Sounds good — drop by anytime when you want to experiment more.
You’ve already got the basic rhythm down: ask for something, refine it, then keep iterating until it feels right. That same pattern works whether you’re planning a trip, fixing a spreadsheet, learning something new, or making weird fantasy versions of vacation photos.
Enjoy exploring, and see you next time.
So, this old dog learned a new trick!
My daughter sent me a copy of my granddaughter’s resume. Damn, am I really that old?
Facebook reminds me that some wounds never heal with these photos of my dream retirement home in South Carolina. Dreams die sometimes before we do. Although in a way, I did die in order to be reborn into this life I’m living in the Philippines.
Now you have it, now you don’t. It still hurts.
It’s the last post of April 2019 in the LTG archives. What I found interesting was that I took a Sunday morning stroll, including a climb up the Kalaklan Ridge, on a hot day, and made it almost 14K before I was done. Today, I walked a flat 7K and was whooped. Well, at least I’m still alive and kicking, just not as much as before. Oh, and that photo from Alaska Bar was a surprise. The bargirl beside me is now the longtime girlfriend of a fellow Hasher. My oh my,
Today’s YouTube video explores the history of humans consuming alcoholic beverages. Beer has been around for 13,000 years. Hmm, maybe I’ll have enjoyed 13,000 bottles before I die. It’s good to have goals!
Humor me:
Yeah, I’d better stop now. Sometimes the road takes you places you didn’t want to go, but you can still enjoy the ride until you run out of gas.
Here’s a better AI inage, Jane, ya old poofy!!
https://imgur.com/a/Wi1wel0
Apologies though as I know you don’t like black people.
Cheers
Dr Greg
I guess the Filipino 18th birthday party is similar to the hispanic 15th (quinceañera) birthday party.
Re: AI/ChatGPT
It is crazy what it can do with photos. I can (kind of) understand how the text part works, but am blown away by what it can do with photos. Hard to trust any photo or video any more as they can be so easily manipulated. There are still some tell tale giveaways, the as the technology gets better and better, it will be harder and harder to detect fakes.
Re: resumé
Well, seems like the door to your relatives is not completely closed. LOL Although I am sounding like a broken record, maybe you guys should take a trip back to the US.
Hello John,
May I be so bold as to ask the age gap between ypu and the lovely Swan?
You may tell me to “piss off” if it is too personal.
My experience with us old fellas in the Phils is that the ladies tend to be significantly younger, meanwhile in Thailand and Cambodia, I find (other than the bargirl scenario) a lot of the local women-foreign guy couples tend to be closer in age – divorcees, single mothers etc.
I din’t find PI has the same negative stigma about old geezers and younger fillies. Just kind of a “Good for you” mindset.
Sorry for the rambling, and the typos. The font size is quite small and my reading glasses arre in the other room.
Have a nice week
Fisted: There is a 30-year age gap between Swan and me. Also, she is the oldest woman I’ve dated since moving here. As is commonly said in the PI, “Age is just a number.” I’m told many Filipinas prefer older men because they are more stable and grounded. I’m blessed to have found Swan for sure.
Brian, yeah, I think you are right. I’d forgotten about the quinceañera tradition.
Yes, I think cartoonists are done for in the AI world, and in photography, the line between real and fake is going to be harder and harder to discern. Has anyone tried asking AI to tell if a photo is legit or not? And could you believe the answer?
I’m trying to help my daughter through a rough patch now, so we are communicating more. I still don’t see myself going back to my past life anytime soon. For similar reasons, I’m done with Korea as well.
Dr. Greg, you’ve made a serious allegation, now back it up. Give an example of anything I’ve said, done, or written about that supports your claim that I don’t like black people.
Re:Comment on age gap
Although I have not been to the PI, I have a lot of time spent in other SE Asian countries, and I think that the age gap is generally about the same in other countries as the PI. I dont think that the Philippines is an anomaly. Of course, you see close age gaps, but that generally occurs when the guy is young. 20 something dating a 20 something, etc. I have never seen a 60’s+ male foreigner starting a relationship with a 60’s+ local lady.
I call your bluff on this being your first experience with AI! I’m pretty sure I recall you having AI write a blog post for you at some time in the past. Presumably your trawl through the archives will confirm that at some point….
Daeguowl, no bluff intended, I’d actually forgotten about that blog post. Given the state of my addled brain, that’s not surprising. So, thanks for the reminder. Here’s the AI-generated post. And here’s my follow-up explanation. I would have been more correct for me to have said it was my first time using AI to modify a photograph. Anyway, I enjoyed the trawl through the archives that you inspired. Thanks for that!
Brian, Yep, never seen the old and old relationship locally, but I have seen some Western couples living here in retirement. I can’t help but wonder if the man is thinking, damn, I could have had THAT!
Anyway, I don’t think the age-gap thing is a problem. I know some Western women hate that men come here to find a young girlfriend, calling it shallow. I’m like, yeah, right, and you wouldn’t look at someone like me unless I was rich AND handsome.
>Anyway, I don’t think the age-gap thing is a problem. I know some Western women hate that men come here to find a young girlfriend, calling it shallow. I’m like, yeah, right, and you wouldn’t look at someone like me unless I was rich AND handsome.
I disagree a bit. I think the same thing happens in the west, regardless of how handsome (or not) the guy is. It is just that the definition of rich in the west is a bit different than the definition of rich in a developing country. Look at Anna Nicole Smith/J Howard Marshall. Look at Trump/Melania. etc etc
To land a hot western lady when there is a significant age gap probably requires a 8 figure (excluding numbers after the decimal point) net worth. In a developing country, a guy could do the same with a 6 figure (or maybe 5 figure) net worth.
As I’ve said before, as long as both sides are cognizant of what the relationship is all about, I have no problems with it as all relationships are transactional at some level. Yeah, the lady likes the stability an older guy has, but if that stability came with no savings and very little monthly income, I doubt she would be as interested in his stability. LOL
Brian, so what I hear you saying is that women are the same all over the world. You might be right about that, but then, I guess the case could be made that so are us menfolk. The reality is that everyone should hold out for what they want and not settle for less than that. Says the guy who’s been married four times and has a lifetime of other failed relationships.
>Brian, so what I hear you saying is that women are the same all over the world. You might be right about that, but then, I guess the case could be made that so are us menfolk. The reality is that everyone should hold out for what they want and not settle for less than that.
For the most part, yes, I do think that women (and men) are basically the same around the world. Of course, there are some cultural differences, but I think the notion that women from SE Asian have the cultural norms to be the perfect wife is a bit overblown.
For every story about a wife like that, there’s another story about someone who gets screwed over by a Filipina. Just like there are a lot of women in the west who make great wives, and then there are some who will screw you over.
It would be interesting to see divorce statistics between couples where one is foreign born (specifically from SE Asia.). I would suspect (with absolutely no data to back this up!! LOL) that breakups/divorces occur with at least the same frequency as marriages between two US native born individuals.
Brian, I don’t disagree. Relationship dynamics are pretty universal, despite some cultural differences. Just from my observations, I’d say that the break-up rates between foreigners and Filipinas are similar to the percentages of failed relationships in the USA.